


Growing Pains

by po3t



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Mike Wheeler, Coming Out, First Kiss, Gay, Gay Will Byers, Insecure Will Byers, Insecurity, Internalized Homophobia, Letters, M/M, Period Typical Homophobia, Pining, Sad Will Byers, Sexuality Crisis, Sneaking Out, byler, ehhh i’ll add more later if i even bother to think, he just scraped his knee no worries, injuries, insecure, letter writing, mileven wasn’t permanent, oh but on a side note, respect other people’s ships btw, window climbing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:34:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21657613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/po3t/pseuds/po3t
Summary: Will had never thought that he’d grow up having a gay crush on his best friend. Life works out in the weirdest ways, doesn’t it?
Relationships: Mike Wheeler/Will Byers
Comments: 1
Kudos: 100





	Growing Pains

**Author's Note:**

> yoooo, this fic is fairly short just like the rest of the byler fics (this ship is srsly lacking in long fics), anyways because i simply adore this pairing, i wrote this! enjoy it.

Will wasn’t... normal. He couldn’t help it of course, Will would give anything in the entire world just to be like his classmates. He knew it wasn’t normal to look at other boys this way. He knew it was wrong. If one were to ask him why, he wouldn’t have a solid factual response. Nope—rather they would be met with a simple, ‘it’s wrong and not normal’. Oh, but of course, nobody had ever asked the sixteen year-old these questions. It wasn’t necessary. That’s why on Monday, July ninth of 1986, he was absolutely appalled by Mikes question. 

\-   
‘Will, what do you think of gay people?’ Mike had asked. They were currently seated in Mike’s basement, Will was trying to get his summer homework done. Mike, was not. The question had drilled a hollow hole into Will’s skull. It took him a few seconds to form an answer. 

‘It’s wrong, of course.’ Had been his response. A breeze could be seen rustling the un-mowed grass outside. Will attempted to come across as nonchalant, he doubted that he came forth as anything such. 

This caused a slight line to appear between Mike’s brows, it wasn’t targeted towards Will, and he knew this. Yet, that didn’t stop his heart rate from picking up, and an anxious feeling to well up in his chest. The comfortable air between the two had been broken.

‘Hmm...’ 

\- 

Needless to say, Mike hadn’t brought the topic up again, and Will was able to breath again. Not for long though, it was never long until something else seemed to plague his thoughts. 

Now, the thing that was running a hole into the carpet of his mind this time was a fairly normal occurrence. It had been non other than Mike and El. Will had made the childish mistake of walking in on one of their make out-sessions. He’d caught them red-handed. Red-eared and panting from the lack of oxygen, if you will. They hadn’t seemed to notice Will, as they were still going at it. Will walked away quietly and out the door. 

He would’ve gone to his house after that encounter, if it wasn’t being populated by another family. It really had been a mistake on Joyce’s part to move away from Hawkins, but they don’t speak about that. 

\- 

There had been a few times that Will had woken up with Mike by his side, but this time definitely takes the cake. The day prior Will and Mike has been riding around town, Will trying to reacquaint himself with his childhood. Will had fallen off his bike—stupidly, and scratched up both of his knees. If Will hadn’t been a teenage boy attracted to the wrong gender he probably wouldn’t have joked that he looked like a girl after going down on too many boys. Mike wouldn’t have noticed the comment even if it did manage to escape his lips, he was too preoccupied with staring at Will’s bloodied up knee’s. 

Mike had reached a hand out onto Will’s shoulder, urging him to sit on the curb. Will complied and allowed for Mike to study the wound. Mike grumbled something about it looking worse than it actually was. Will didn’t manage to hear much else of what he said, trusted him nonetheless.

Mike had quickly and quietly mumbled something about being right back, supposedly to retrieve first-aid in order the treat his minor injury. Mikes house wasn’t far, he could wait. 

\- 

Mike returned with supplies around twenty minutes later, it was a painful few minutes for Will. In those two ten minute blocks, a total of eleven people had passed by, most of them giving him curious looks, all of them being strangers didn’t help in the slightest. A hetero couple had called him a ‘fairy’. Will was familiar with that word, but he didn’t understand the nature of it all, sure see someone sitting with bloody knees on the side of the curb and stare. Hell! stare all you want! But what’s the point of calling them a fairy or a faggot. It must’ve slipped Will’s mind that’s he’s not just someone—he’s Will Byers— That name was notorious around Hawkins, it’s not everyday that your dead body is pulled out of a river, only for you to be supposedly revived a few days later. 

Will’s mind has drifted long enough to miss the point in time that Mike had started poking around his knees again. He was focusing in again though, the scratchy feeling of fresh gauze against his kneecaps was soothing in a way that he didn’t quite understand. 

\-   
Mike and Will had kissed before, it really wasn’t that unusual for the party. They were young and all curious, a game of truth or dare would fix that right up. Or so Will had hoped, it only managed to confirm his speculation about his sexuality even more so. Being twelve and going through an identity crisis wasn’t the best feeling. 

The game had gone pretty typical at first, boring questions that slowly but surely veered into unfamiliar territory. From ‘What’s you favorite color’ to ‘What’s something that turns you on?’ or, ‘I dare you to lick the wall!’ to ‘I dare you to...kiss Mike...’ Oh of course, that had been the one that had done him in. Mike didn’t seem opposed to the idea, so Will didn’t mind indulging in the idea of Mikes firmly chapped lips for a couple seconds. 

Mike had raised a tentative hand before gently cupping Will’s cheek. ‘You guys are so immature!’ He had said, acknowledging Dustin and Lucas, as it had been their idea. Will’s brain couldn’t even function properly being that close to Mike. He only had a split second to admire the speckled dots adorning Mike’s features before he was pulled into a firm kiss, teeth clattered together-not graceful in the slightest-, but still nice. For Will at least, once the two boys had pulled away from each other Mike had sped up the stairs of his basement in order ‘rinse out his mouth’ Will concluded that it wasn’t normal to have enjoyed that as much as he did. That it was sick—that HE was sick.

-

He was sixteen when he finally accepted himself as gay. He hadn’t quite come out to everyone yet, and he wasn’t as comfortable as she probably should’ve been when his eyes lingered on more than just boys faces. Not that he’d ever mention it to a certain Wheeler. By this point in his life, Joyce and Hopper had conveniently moved the family back out to Hawkins. They weren’t in the same house, but the area was familiar and felt more like home than the other place ever had. 

Will had only came out to one person, Jonathan—his brother. Johnathan had the best reaction Will could’ve hoped for. ‘Jonathan, i’m gay’ Will had said after having trying to speak for around five minutes in a stuttering voice before he composed himself. ‘Oh cool,’ Jonathan has said, ‘I’ll support you no matter what.’ Will had never smilied so bright. 

Will had come out to everyone one by one. He mostly got the same reactions, although Max has claimed that she already knew... Will could see why, he wasn’t exactly good at hiding things. But of course what was he to do when he only had one more person to come out too? Will hadn’t necessarily meant to leave Mike for last, it just sort of happened.

Mike was going to be the most difficult one to come out to. That, Will already knew. Mike had grown up in a conservative household, a homophobic father and a homophobic mother, his siblings were a little less homophobic. Now, obviously Will hadn’t had came out to either of his sisters. Yet, Nancy knew, Jonathan had told her after confirming that Will was alright with it.

The point is that Mike was probably homophobic, Will certainly wouldn’t have come out to Mike if it hadn’t had been necessary. Will’s way out exposing himself to Mike was a little unconventional, yet cliche at the very same time. He had written Mike a letter, Will exposed a lot more than he had to the others in this letter, because well, he didn’t have to be there when Mike opened the god forsaken thing.

-  
Dear Mike,   
Hey mike! I know that you’re probably not expecting a letter, but it felt important. Probably because... it is. Look Mike, no matter what I want you to know that i’m still me and that nothing has to change between us, unless you want it to. And i’m really going out on a limb here by hoping that you won’t see me any differently. Anyways, let’s make this short and brief.  
I’m gay. And i’ve had a crush on you pretty much ever since puberty fucking took over.  
There,  
I said—wrote?— it. I’m sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, EVEN IN THE SLIGHTEST! The last thing I want is for you to drop me as a friend, but i’ll understand if you choose to do so.   
Sincerely, Will Byers   
-

By the time that the letter was left burning a hole into Mike’s locker, Will was regrettingthe decision to even consider telling Mike. Will was generally a quiet person, but his thoughts were anything but quiet. He’d had trouble concentrating on his classes, mostly because his mind wouldn’t shut up. ‘Did Mike have the letter yet?’, ‘Goddammit, Mike’s going to hate you.’ Thoughts he very much did not need or want.

Needless to say, he went home immediately after school and avoided all of Mike’s calls. 

Mike didn’t like that, at all. 

\--

Will was woken up by a sound that was less than gentle, but rather a sound that seemed to echo a struggle. It took the brunette a few seconds to process where the sound was coming from, with his sleep-deprived head scape. But that wasn’t needed, as the sound came to a halt as Mike’s shoes squeaked one last time, and in a fleeting moment Mike had ended up in Will’s room... through the window. Will could only stare and wait for Mike to explain himself. 

‘i-I got your letter...’The raven-haired boy had stammered. 

Will could only flinch in response before Mike had carried on with his thoughts. 

‘Listen Will, I-‘

‘Mike! it’s alright, like I said in the letter, don’t feel obligated to do anything. I’ll completely understand anything you want.’

‘Yeah, Will I know how much courage it must’ve taken to write that letter, and-‘

‘Mike you don’t have to take pity on me, I understand.’

‘No will I-‘

‘Mike it’s alright, like I said, It’s-‘

‘Will, stop cutting me off, what i’m trying to say is that I like you back!’

Will hardly had a chance to process any movement before he felt Mike’s lips on his own. Will’s own we’re soft, Mike’s the slightest bit chapped due to his nasty habit of licking them. The kiss was tentative and corroding at the same time. It made Will feel as if he was melting, and as if he were soaring. Both feelings weren’t meant to be mutually exclusive, but for some odd reason in his vocabulary, they were. The kiss lasted a few seconds before Will had to break away for a breath.

‘Well, I guess that works too... God your lips are chapped’ He chastised, you probably weren’t supposed to say that after kissing your life-long crush. Will exhaled, It didn’t matter anymore, he thought before pulling Mike into a bone-crushing hug and whispering in his ear a simple phrase. ‘I love you’


End file.
